1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to boats. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for winterizing boats having water cooled engines and/or water systems such as are used in the galley and head to avoid freezing damage to the boat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Marine winterizing system for flushing boat engine cooling water systems with an antifreeze solution for winter storage are known. These systems are useful for winterizing engines to avoid freezing damage to the engine, however, they do not provide facility to winterize other water cooled or containing systems such as heads, galleys, electrical generators, hot water heaters, water storage tanks, and tubing providing for flow of fresh water throughout the boat or marine water, depending on water and cooling systems design. These systems generally depend upon gravity, or a low-pressure bilge pump to pump flushing and winterizing fluids through the engine. Some are permanent installations requiring maneuvering of the boat to the flushing site. Others are portable, however they are useful only for engine flushing and winterizing. Known winterizing systems employ only gravity or sump or bilge pump which has practical limitations on pressure output. It would be desirable to provide a relatively high pressure and flow capacity pumped flush and winterizing system which is effective to provide for flushing fluid flow at high rate pressure relative to prior systems, which would reduce flushing time and enhance flushing effectiveness in boat engines, particularly inboard/outboard type engines. It would also be desirable that the same system may be useful to flush and winterize other water systems in the boat such as generator and refrigerator systems, hot water heater, head, shower, galley, fresh water tanks, and hoses or pipes connecting these systems with minimum effort and time spent. It would also be desirable to provide such as system which is portable so as to allow winterizing of the boat while stored on blocks, cradles, or trailers for the winter without moving the boat.
U.S. Patent application publication No. 00699112 A1, published Jun. 13, 2002, for Prentice, describes a marine engine winterizing system and procedure that is a permanent installation, and is useful for flushing and winterizing a marine engine which makes both a powered and hand-operated pump available for circulating fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,259, issued Dec. 3, 1991, to Ahlefeld, describes a system for providing flushing and winterizing fluid to the outdrive and then to the engine of an inboard/outboard marine engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,885, issued Nov. 23, 1993, to Montague, describes an on-board, permanently installed electronic controlled marine engine and outdrive flushing and dewinterizing system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,265, issued Nov. 8, 1994, to Gervals, describes an outdrive xe2x80x9cearmuffxe2x80x9d flushing connector as employed by the present invention but the system of Gervals is limited to flushing the outdrive and marine engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,182, issued Oct. 14, 1997, to McMullen, Jr. et al., describes a method and apparatus for winterizing a seasonal dwelling water system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,403, issued Mar. 10, 1998, to Ridolfo, describes an outboard motor flush and run tank and method of flushing a marine outboard motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,033, issued Dec. 26, 2000, to Cugini, describes a flushing and winterizing system for an inboard/outboard marine motor employing a low pressure circulating immersion pump in a portable catch basin and a pair of xe2x80x9cearmuffxe2x80x9d connectors for circulation to the outdrive. CAMCO Do-It-Yourself Boat Winterizer, American Auto Parts catalogue, Page 632, 2002 illustrates a personal marine engine winterizer employing connection to an outdrive to an inboard/outboard drive. No provision is made for flushing and winterizing boat water systems.
Yardarm Winterizing Tank, Yardarm Marine Products, Inc. internet catalogue, Indianapolis, Ind., Mar. 6, 2001 illustrates a winterizing tank for attachment to the outdrive to an inboard/outboard drive. No provision is made for flushing and winterizing the boat water systems.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a personal marine winterizing system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The personal marine winterizing system is a generally rectangular open reservoir having a handle in the front wall and a splash guard extending upward from the rear wall and extending around the rear portion of the sidewalls to maintain flushing and antifreeze solution in the reservoir within the reservoir during movement and use of the system. The reservoir has a pair of large supporting wheels mounted for rotation on the opposite sides of the rear end and a pair of swivel wheels mounted for rotation and swivel on opposite sides of the front end, thus providing a high degree of manual maneuverability to help position the winterizing system to a desired location at the stern of a boat.
A high pressure pump is mounted forward of the front wall and protected from the solution by the splash guard. The high pressure pump is part of a circulation system having a pickup hose in the reservoir, a fitting through the end wall, a strainer, a pump, and a faucet type valve, along with associated tubing to deliver high pressure fluid, controlled by the valve, to a delivery hose. The hose may be connected to an xe2x80x9cear muffxe2x80x9d connection with the cooling water opening of an outdrive of an inboard/outboard marine engine and drive or an outboard motor and drive. The hose may, alternatively, be connected to a garden hose type trigger sprayer valve or the like which controls delivery of pressurized fluid to a connecting line which may be connected, as convenient, with an inboard marine engine or boat water system to pump winterizing fluid to pump flushing or winterizing fluid therethrough. There may be a re-circulation line appropriately attached to the marine engine or the boat water system to return flushing fluid to the system reservoir.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a marine winterizing system which provides for high pressure flushing and winterizing the engine and water system of a marine vessel.
It is another object of the invention to provide a winterizing system as above which is easily moved into position, utilized, and moved to storage manually.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a winterizing system as above which does not require dock space.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a winterizing system of above which is powered by a 12-volt battery or a xe2x80x9cHot Shotxe2x80x9d device.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.